Pinay mariculture scientists get int'l L'Oréal grant

Sometime in May, fish inhabiting the myriad fish pens dotting the surface of Taal Lake in Batangas suddenly started turning up on their bellies, signalling the beginning of a massive fish kill that stunted demand for milkfish and tilapia for the months that followed. Bewildered by the sudden turn of events, scientists and government bureaus surmised that a sudden drop in oxygen levels caused the massive die-off of fish in the lake. One theory suggested that the sudden torrent of cold rain from recent weather disturbances caused the surface water to sink in a process called "downwelling," depleting the upper surface oxygen supply in the process. Government officials, however, have pointed out that as much as 1,300 illegal fish cages have been set up by local fish folk in the area, aggravating the condition. They have since begun dismantling these illegal cages. To prevent such costly incidents from happening again, a year-long nationwide study by an oceanographer from the University of the Philippines has been launched, which will study the unique physical characteristics of the different regions of the country and their appropriateness for harboring a mariculture park. Dr. Laura David, also a professor at UP's Marine Science Institute, will conduct the study entitled "Endeavoring for Wise Mariculture," which will be funded by cosmetics company L'Oréal Philippines. David is just one of the two women scientists chosen to become the Philippines' first For Women in Science National Fellows, an annual grant given by L'Oréal and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which aims to recognize the role women have played in the field of science. David, along with Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungria also of the University of the Philippines, will receive P400,000 to fund their respective projects. In the announcement of the new fellows on Monday, David stressed the need to catalog the characteristics of the many bodies of water surrounding the country if the government wants to address food security. "We eat a lot of seafood as a people," David quipped. "Most of our food is coming from the sea, so we have to make an effort to make sure that we study the sea in better ways, in order to make it sustainable." She said the impacts of climate change to marine habitats and fisheries, coupled with a burgeoning population inhabiting coastlines across the country, poses a "grave threat" to the food security of the country. A pragmatic solution, according to David, is the establishment of different mariculture parks across the country, which she described as a setup similar to that of the fish pens in Taal, where various kinds of fish are bred—from tilapia to bangus to groupers. "[Mariculture] is one good solution, except it's already stressed—that is why there is red tide, eutrophication and fish kills," she said. The study, according to David, will look at the physical characteristics of different regions and will see how intense mariculture parks can be sustained in them. "It will act as a guide for industry to make it resilient to changes in climate, as well as demographic pressure," she added. David likened mariculture parks to sari-sari stores that permeate local communities, where competition becomes intense due to the narrow scope of customers in the area. "Kung merong isang sari-sari store sa baranggay tapos kumita siya, iyong kapitabahay niya ay gagawa rin ng sari-sari store," she explained. "Tapos, dadami na sila, hindi na sila kikita nang malaki." "Ganoon din sa mariculture. Pag naglagay ng isa, maiinggit ang kapitbahay, so gagawa din siya. Darating ang poing na hindi na kaya ng tubig, ubos na ang hangin, wala nang pagkain, so magkakamatayan na," she added. Being women in science Aside from talking about their respective studies, David and De Ungria also shared with the press their experiences as being women in a field mostly dominated by men. David, whose scope of work involves a lot of field work for data collection, shared how men in the field are often apprehensive about having women aboard boats. "In the Philippine perspective, our fishermen are really gentlemen, but that's double-edged," she said. "At the start, they are apprehensive of taking young girls to the boat. But when they see them working hand in hand with them, then they relax." Meanwhile, De Ungria, whose study on the mitochondiral DNA Diversity of Philippine Negrito Populations has also caught the attention of L'Oréal and UNESCO, shared that when it all comes down to it, men and women have different qualities that are essential in the laboratory. "The challenge for me as a scientist is not so much as saying men are like this and like that ... I have to recognize the strength of each one," she said. Men, according to her, have their own specific characteristic, in that they work really fast but don't write their observations down. "So when you ask them about the experiment a few months after, they couldn't remember it anymore," she said. Women, on the other hand, take the time to write and remember their observations, so the details are retained for a long time. "The challenge for me is to make the most of these characteristics. Women are very creative, resourceful and hardworking. They often find solutions to problems that don't seem to have solutions," she added. Need for more women scientists But women scientists in the Philippines have it better, according to the two national fellows. "The Philippine culture provides more support for women to lead their lives the way they want to," said David. "Because we have a nurturing society, there are times when women scientists can't give their all to their familities, we have society to help with that," De Ungria added. David shared that in other cultures, women scientists had to cut down or totally abandon their field work once they started to become mothers. "In my case, for four months in a year I can still go out on boats," she said. "[Our] society is set up in a way that we still help each other out," she added. David said that her goal is to nurture the next generation of women scientists, so that more people of her kind could dominate the field. "To encourage that, we need more targeted scholarships for women, and tell parents to encourage their daughters to pursue a career in science." De Ungria, meanwhile, said that programs such as L'Oréal and UNESCO's For Women In Science give women scientists something to hope for, "that we have something here in store for them" should they pursue a profession in science. — TJD, GMA News